Sarah Craighead selected as Mammoth Cave National Park superintendent
Southeast Regional Director David Vela announced the selection of Sarah
Craighead to be the next superintendent at Mammoth Cave National Park near
Bowling Green, Ky. Craighead currently serves as the superintendent of Death
Valley National Park in southern California and Nevada. She will assume her new
duties at Mammoth Cave on November 4.
"Sarah knows the value of being attuned to park resources and advancing park
goals through partnerships and collaboration," Vela said. "With her strong
operations background and the experience she has gained in more than 30 years
with the National Park Service, Sarah is an obvious choice for this position.
Not to mention the fact that she grew up in Kentucky's cave country and
actually started her career at Mammoth Cave."
Just as many college students do, Craighead took seasonal employment at Mammoth
Cave National Park while attending Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky.,
where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in biology in 1978.
"I worked several summers at Mammoth Cave, as a campground ranger and a cave
guide," said Craighead. "My very first job was selling crafts at the Mammoth
Cave Hotel. The cave was my jumping off point with the National Park Service.
Now, more than thirty years later, I have the honor of managing the park. I
look forward to reconnecting with park staff, retirees, and the surrounding
communities."
Craighead has been superintendent of Death Valley National Park since 2009. At
3.4 million acres, Death Valley is the largest national park in the continental
U.S., and the lowest place in North America at 282 feet below sea level.
Prior to Death Valley, Craighead served as the superintendent of Saguaro
National Park, just outside of Tucson, Ariz. She was the first superintendent
of Washita Battlefield National Historic Site in Cheyenne, Okla., from
1997-2002. While there, she gained important experience in developing park
plans and working with communities and American Indian tribes.
In her 33-year career, Craighead has also worked at Acadia National Park,
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Manassas National
Battlefield Park, Independence National Historical Park, and Mesa Verde
National Park.
Craighead graduated from Caverna High School in Horse Cave, Ky., in 1974 as
valedictorian. She is the daughter of Mrs. Jean Craighead, of Cave City, Ky.
Craighead is married to Rick Shireman, who was recently selected to be the
Southeast Region Chief of Facility Support for the National Park Service
Southeast Regional Office in Atlanta.
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